“True.”
I listened to the cicadas for a moment. “Hey, Mom?”
“Mm?”
“Why don’t you ever talk about O’ma?”
“I talk about her.”
“No, but like—about what she was like as a mother.”
Mom was silent a long moment. “I don’t know. I guess it was sort of... difficult. It wasn’t fun.”
“Why do you think that was the case?”
“I think she had a lot more to think about than American parenting norms. I don’t blame her. And she didn’t really have a model.”
Except for Edward’s mother, I supposed. “Why do you think O’ma didn’t try to learn more about her parents? I mean, I know she knew they died at Auschwitz, but why didn’t she talk more about them, or try to find out if there were other relatives still alive?”
“I think it was too hard for her to think about it. It was too sad.”
“Did you try to get her to talk about it?”
“I did,” Mom sounded forlorn. “It never worked.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“What about O’pa? Did he talk?”
“Sometimes. He wouldn’t talk about it if you asked, but sometimes he’d mention a story in relation to something else—almost always unexpectedly.” She almost laughed. “Once, I told O’pa I hated rutabaga turnips, and he said he hated them, too, because the Germans took all the potatoes for the last two years of the war and all they had left to eat were rutabagas.”
“Wait, they took the potatoes and left the turnips? Why? Turnips are much better for you than potatoes.”
She snorted. “I guess they tasted better.”
“Hm. The Germans were making some real bad nutritional choices.”
She laughed. “I miss you.”
I gripped my phone tightly, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of love for her, and for Dad, and for how much they supported me and never, ever acted disappointed in or distant from me. “I miss you too. You’re a great mom.”
“I am?” She sounded surprised. “Thanks.”
“Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Who would you rather have,Mom liked to ask.Niko’s mom or me? Haley’s mom or me?
And though I would have picked Mom every time no matter my actual feelings, I didn’t sayyouonly out of filial piety: I saidyoubecause I meant it. Because I would always pick her. I’d pick her over any other person in the entire world.
Sixteen
July 25
Dear Dr. Weisz,
